Wings of Hope
by Dark350
Summary: The night before Valka was taken there was a raid and a baby was lost. This single event could prove to change the course of the entire Archipelago. As the war between dragons and Vikings grows fiercer the world seems on the brink of destruction. As the son of a chief meets the daughter of dragons will the two of them find a way to end all this bloodshed?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back people. For those of you that read the original version of this story and are up for reading the remake I say welcome back. For the people trying this story for the first time welcome.**

 **If you are coming back to this story then obviously you do not have to read the first chapter though I do recommend reading the Author's Note at the end. It will highlight some of the things that are different. If you did not read the original you should still read the note at the end, it will outline how things went in the missing time gap.**

 **The rights to How to Train Your Dragon belong to DreamWorks. I repeat I do not own this story, please do not sue me.**

 **Chapter 1: Taken and the Birth of a Soul**

It was a dark night in the town of Berk. Not a sound could be heard throughout the length of the island. However, that calm was about to be interrupted by…Dragons. It started when a catapult was blasted into pieces. And out ran the Vikings. Dragon attacks were a somewhat normal occurrence. Most people would leave, but not them. They have stubbornness issues. However, something would happen that night that would change the course of Berk, forever.

In a small house in the village, Helga Hofferson lay panting in her bed. Surrounding her were many of the females of the village. "Come on Helga, you need to push. This baby isn't going to come out on its own. Come on, one more. Push." The sound of crying then filled the house. All the women crowded around the bed as Helga held her baby for the first time. She wished her husband was here to see this, he had run out as soon as he had heard the dragon raid.

All the women then left the two alone. Gazing down at her daughter only one word came to mind. "Astrid. Your name is Astrid." She then heard a soft knock on her door accompanied by the sound of it opening. She looked up, hoping to see her husband but was instead greeted by the chief's wife Valka. She had had her baby last week and Helga had been there the entire time. She suspected Valka was here to return the favor. "Hello, and who is this? Have you named her yet?" Valka asked. "I have, this is Astrid. Astrid Hofferson." The two women gazed down at the baby in Helga's arms. However, that calm was soon interrupted as the two women noticed a disturbing fact. The baby's breathing was slowing down. She was no longer crying and her breathing was getting more and more shallow by the second. Her mother was hysterical was screaming for Valka to go get help.

She was on her way back to the house with Gothi and Harvid Hofferson, Helga's husband. They were all running when they saw that the roof to the Hofferson's home had caved in. Out of the house appeared a dragon, one that they all recognized as a Deadly Nadder. Clutched in his claws was a small bundle. Bursting into the house they saw Helga sobbing on the floor. Harvid immediately ran over to his wife. "Helga what's wrong? Where's the baby?" "She's gone. My poor Astrid was barely breathing when suddenly the roof caved in. That dragon broke through the roof and I tried to draw it away from her. But no matter what I did it just kept looking at Astrid. I finally charged it but it knocked me back with its tail. It then grabbed her and just flew away." By the end of the story Helga was sobbing so hard that she couldn't say anything else. Even her husband began to shed a few tears. These were the Hofferson's. They just didn't cry. Yet, here they were, mourning the loss of their only daughter. Seeing that there was nothing that she could do Valka headed back to her house to see her own baby, Hiccup.

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 _Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away. A Deadly Nadder was flying back to her home, the sanctuary, ruled by the great Bewilderbeast. In her claws she held a tiny baby that she had found in that violent nest. She had burst through the top of the odd structure to see this young hatchling struggling to draw breath. What she did next she had no explanation for. She simply acted on instinct and grabbed her. She didn't know what she would do next but something was telling her to take the hatchling to the Bewilderbeast._

 _Flying into the sanctuary the Deadly Nadder, Fairbreeze, immediately took the young hatchling to her Alpha._

' _Alpha, help. I found this hatchling in that violent two-leg nest. She is barely breathing.' 'Fairbreeze, why have you brought her? She is a two-leg. One day she will grow to hate and kill dragons.'_

' _I am sorry my lord. I don't know why I brought her. I only know that there was something inside of me saying that she needed to be brought here. Is there anything that you can do?'_

' _There is only one thing. I could try to merge some of my blood with hers. It is dangerous for the child. If the body accepts it she will never be able to go back to her nest. But if it fails, she will not survive it.'_

' _I understand my lord. But if you do not she will not survive anyway. Please, look inside yourself. You feel it too. There is something deep down that tells you she is special.'_

 _The Bewilderbeast has no answer for that. After peering down at the young child he seems to come to a decision. 'Very well. Place her in front of me, then leave. What I am about to do, I must do alone.'_

 _And so, placing the young hatchling in front of her Alpha, Fairbreeze left to check on her own hatchlings. They had been born just three sunrises ago. She had two male Nadders and one female Nadder. She then curled around them, protecting them from whatever may come. She did not even realize when she drifted off to sleep._

 _(Later)_

 _She was awoken to the sound of her Alpha's call. She immediately took off to answer, not noticing that her female hatchling had grabbed onto her. Landing in front of her Alpha she saw the form of the two-leg hatchling. Walking over to it, Fairbreeze saw the hatchling's chest rising and falling. She was immediately caught up with a joy that she could not explain._

' _Thank you my lord.'_

' _I should be thanking you Fairbreeze. She should never have survived that. The fact that she did proved that you were right. She is one special two-leg. In fact, she might be one of the Two.'_

' _Do you really think so my lord?'_

' _I do. That means she must be protected. The fact that she survived puts us in another very difficult situation. She needs someone to look after her.'_

 _Fairbreeze glanced down at the young hatchling that was just beginning to stir. Only then did she notice her own hatchling was there. The young Nadder walked over to the child. She carefully gave the small bundle a sniff before leaning her head in even closer. What happened next surprised both the Alpha as well as Fairbreeze. The child reached out one of her paws and placed it on the young Nadder's snout, giggling happily. Then, for the first time, the child opened her eyes. What they saw made the two recoil in shock. Instead of the normal, two-leg eyes, hers were slitted. Just like a dragons._

' _Yes, she is indeed special', said the Alpha._

' _I shall watch over her my lord. I will treat her as if she were one of my own hatchlings.'_

 _The two then looked down to see Fairbreeze's young hatchling curl around the small two-leg._

' _Yes Fairbreeze. She will be your hatchling. However, she must also have another two-leg to watch over and care for her. She needs to feed and only another nursing female two-leg will be able to provide for her. But do not fear, she will still be your hatchling as well. Cloudjumper'_

 _He roared the last part and immediately a large Stormcutter flew down from the ledge where he had been watching. Being the second in command to the Alpha meant that he was privy to much of what the Alpha did._

' _I want you to return to the two-leg nest. Find another nursing female and bring her here. We must have someone to look after her. Hurry, we do not have much time.'_

 _Giving a quick nod of his head and a small bow to his Alpha, the Stormcutter flew away, back in the direction of Berk._

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Back on Berk, Valka was doing her best to comfort her distraught friend. However, to attempt to comfort a mother who had just lost her child was an impossible task. She had just left the Hofferson's and was headed back to her own, where one of the midwifes was watching over he own child. However, halfway up the hill to her house a giant dragon with four wings dropped from the sky to land right in front of her. Valka immediately felt her body stiffen. She had spent her entire life believing that dragons were kind gentle creatures. However, after what had happened yesterday, her faith was severely shaken.

The dragon tilted its head and appeared to sniff at Valka. Whatever it was sniffing for it must have found it because it seemed to smile, if dragons could smile. Suddenly a loud battle cry was heard coming from up the hill. When Valka looked she saw her husband, Stoick. The dragons seemed to make a split second decision and grabbed her. She was quickly carried away, screaming for her husband as Stoick was calling for her.

There was nothing left for her to do. The dragon carried her in its claw and there was nothing she could do. Even if she did manage to get free there was nothing waiting for her but a 400 foot drop into the sea. They flew for a long time, Valka had long since lost sight of any kind of land. The dragon carrying her let out a cry as if to alert her of something. Looking out in front of her she saw a giant palace of ice. That appeared to be their destination as the dragon swooped in through one of the holes.

She was then set down in the center of a very large group of dragons. She felt more fear now than she had ever felt in her life. That fear slowly started to fade away as she realized the dragons where not attacking her. In fact they appeared to be admiring her. Then, the dragons cleared a path for her and started to gesture to her to go through it.

Figuring she had nothing else she could she followed the path, dragons surrounding her on both sides. The pathway led her to a small cave whose occupant appeared to be a Deadly Nadder and her young babies. However, when she got closer the mother lifted its head. She immediately stopped, knowing how protective dragons can get. With a gesture of the dragons head she once again began to approach. When she got closer she realized that not everything there was a dragon. Nestled within the embrace of both the mother and one of the babies was a human baby. Bending down to pick her up she noticed how thin and weak the child was.

She then lead the child up and began to breast feed her. She could not shake the feeling that she had seen this child before. Upon closer inspection she could not believe what her eyes where seeing. "Astrid, you're alive. But how, you were almost dead even before that dragon took you." Looking up she saw into the eyes of the Nadder and knew that this was the same dragon that had taken her.

"You saved her didn't you? You're the reason why she still lives."

The dragon however shook her head no. She gestured outside of the cave. When Valka looked her heart almost stopped. Outside of the cave, inside a giant pool stood the biggest dragon she had ever seen. Like the size of a village. After a nudge from the Nadder she began to walk out of the cave and approach the dragon. However, a squawk from behind her made her stop. One of the baby Nadders was running after her, or more likely, the child she held in her arms.

Laughing she bent down to pick up the baby, then with the two of them in her arms proceeded to see the giant dragon. The mother Nadder stopped in front of the king and bowed. Looking around and seeing all the other dragons doing the same Valka figured that she should follow their example. Bending over, the behemoth blew a puff of breath, freezing in her hair. He then straightened back up and roared to all the other dragons. Taking this to be a good sign, she once again looks down at the small bundle in her arms. At some point she must have had enough because she had stopped to breast feed.

This left Valka in a very awkward position. She knew that she should take the baby back to Berk but at the same time she doubted that she would be allowed to. The young dragon hatchling in her arms was snuggled right into Astrid. Also, the mother Nadder that was standing right next to her was looking down at the small bundle in her arms with such obvious affection in her eyes. She then turned to look the other way and saw that next to her was the four winged dragon that had brought her here.

Any internal conflict that she was feeling was quickly erased the second the child opened her eyes. She stared down in astonishment as she looked at the eyes of the dragon that had replaced Astrid's eyes. Looking further down the child's body she noticed a burn mark on her upper right arm. However, this was no ordinary burn mark. It appeared to take shape, almost like a rune. Valka realized that she had no choice. With eyes like that and the story of how the child was carried off on a dragon the village would never accept the child. They would call her a demon and leave her to die.

'I'm so sorry Hiccup. Stoick. I cannot return. I must watch over this child. She has nowhere to go. You would probably be better off without me. He doesn't need to grow up with a mom that thinks what she does about dragons. Especially now. These dragons took a dying baby and saved it. And this baby Nadder seems to think of her almost like a sister. The mother Nadder next to me seems to consider her to be her own baby.'

So, with that final thought she turned and headed back to the cave. However, she was stopped by the mother Nadder and the dragon that had brought her here. Motion for her to climb on the four winged dragon, which she complied to, the two dragons took off. The mother Nadder went to gather up her children and they flew off to a ledge on the outside wall of the nest.

When they landed Valka was amazed by what she saw. The view was incredible. You could see across the entire nest. And in the wall of the Nest was a cave. The cave was very deep and branched out into several more caves. 'These could be used as rooms', she thought to herself. The Nadders had followed her in. The mother Nadder was not letting Valka out of her sights.

"Well girl. It seems like this is your child just as much as mine." The Nadder squawked happily at this. She then felt a nudge from her other side and looked to see the dragon that had brought her here. "Well then, I see someone wants to be a father". She laughs as she says this. Looking around the cave again Valka sighed. "Well Astrid, welcome to your new home."

Valka then sat on the ground. The remaining two baby Nadder's that she did not already have climbed on top of her. Nestling into her arms with their sister and Astrid. Curling protectively around all of them was the mother Nadder and the four winged dragon. Sighing to herself, Valka slowly drifted off to sleep, her last waking thoughts on her son Hiccup, and baby Astrid laying in her arms.

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Back on Berk, the entire village had gathered in the center. Two funeral pyres were burning brightly in the night. Slowly, the crowds faded away until the only ones left were the Hofferson's and Stoick along with the small bundle in his arms. That night the two families who had lost so much, vowed vengeance on every dragon they meet for the deaths of their family members.

 **Ok, so hi. I'm back with an update. I took a lot of time off this year before coming back to writing. I was not gone from the site, far from it. Over the last year I have read more stories on this site than I will ever admit to anyone. Through it all, it made me take a long look at this story and I realized something. I was not a fan of where it was going. This was the first story that I ever attempted and it shows in my writing. So I decided to start over. The first chapter is the same but starting next chapter things are going to be changing. We will once again be starting after the first movie but I'm moving the ages up to the second movie (That's 20 for those of you who don't know). Another key difference will be how the first movie played out.**

 **Hiccup did not shoot down Toothless in the first movie. That means when he was entered in Dragon training he was the worst in the class. Thus Snotlout killed the Monstrous Nightmare and the raids continued. Now that that is all out of the way I am posting this chapter.**

 **For everyone who didn't read the original story let me know what you think of the first chapter. Like, share, review, message me I don't care I welcome it all. This has been Dark350 saying I'm back b*tches**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 **And I'm back with another chapter in the reboot of my story. For those of you who read the author's note at the end of the first chapter you know there will be some changes to the plot. For those of you who did not read the author's note it's not a problem. Just disregard what you may have read in the original.**

 **One more thing, the first chapter is not my best writing. In fact looking back on it, it is kind of embarrassing. I'm thinking of going back and rewriting the first chapter but I'll let you guys know.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I don't own How to Train Your Dragon or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 2: Awkward Adjustments**

The first thing that Valka registered was the strange sounds that seemed to be echoing all around her. In her exhausted state she found herself unable to process what everything was. She could hear what was going on around her but her brain was not yet able to process what the sounds meant. She could almost feel the haziness begin to lift from her mind. The first thing to run through her mind was a question.

'Why am I so tired?'

After a moment she simply wrote it off on another late night. Since she had Hiccup she had grown accustomed to getting little to no sleep. Thus she had found herself waking up in an exhausted state on what seemed like a daily basis. Still in her drowsy state the only sound she processed was the lack of a baby's cry and so she settled back to bed.

She awoke about an hour later feeling much more refreshed than the first time she woke up. And now that she was more rested she was finally able to process the sounds she had been hearing. A sound that she had become very familiar with living on Berk…Dragons.

Her immediate response was to leap to her feet and survey the scene around her. Years of living on Berk had honed those reflexes into her. After a minute of looking around the events of last night caught up and she sunk to her knees. So much had changed in just one night. And with that the decision she made last night caught up with her as well.

'Can I really leave my son and husband on their own for this girl? I know I cannot bring her back to Berk and to her mother. They would toss her off the cliff the second we got back. They would sooner accept that she was cursed than that the dragons did not harm her. That they saved her life.'

There was no other village that she could go to that would take her either. Her eyes gave her away, made her an outcast. They would continue to do so for her entire life. Even Valka had been unable to stop gasp of horror and surprise that escaped her the first time she saw them.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she realized a simple but important fact that she had failed to notice before. She was alone. None of the dragons that were in the cave last night were here now, and most importantly Astrid herself was gone as well.

Valka scrambled out of the cave and back into the Sanctuary she vaguely remembered from last night. Normally she would have taken time to admire the beauty of it. However at the moment she had more important things to worry about.

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 _(Hours ago)_

Fairbreeze had woken hours earlier to the sound of the small human child squirming against the human women Cloudjumper had brought back the night before. It seemed like the woman was too tired to notice so Fairbreeze carefully picked the child out of her slumbering arms and cradled it safely in her wings.

Her own hatchlings were already up and bustling around the cave, probably the reason for the child's wakening. The child squirmed around and began to cry at having been woken up. The boys continued to run and chase each other, oblivious to the little girl that was now crying in their mother's arms.

The young female Nadder that had spent the night cuddled up to the baby girl noticed her new friend making a strange noise and came over from playing with her brothers to investigate. She squawked curiously and tilted her head as she approached her mother. She listened to the baby continue to cry for another minute before she squawked once again and came closer.

Fairbreeze was busy trying to get the small human child in her embrace to calm down and stop crying. So far everything she had tried had been unsuccessful until she heard her youngest hatchling and only daughter come over to her.

" _Mommy, why is it making that sound?"_ Her hatchling asked her.

" _I do not know hatchling. I cannot seem to get it to stop. I do not understand what it wants."_ Fairbreeze responded to her youngest.

Her latest bunch of hatchlings had all yet to earn their true names so she often simply called them hatchling. Her children were not yet one moon old and most dragons did not find their true names until they were able to fly. Her hatchlings were not yet big or strong enough to attempt to fly yet, it would still be another moon before they would have the necessary size and strength in their muscles to begin to learn to fly.

" _Perhaps she is tired."_ Fairbreeze said more to herself however her daughter overheard her mother's comment.

" _Then why doesn't she go back to sleep"?_ She asked her mother.

" _Well, now is the time when the daywings wake from their rest and the nightwings return home. Perhaps all the noise is what woke her and now prevents her from going back to sleep."_ Fairbreeze responded.

Though Valka was too tired and so was not awoken by the infant's cries they were successful in awakening Cloudjumper, the large dragon that had gone out and found the human mother the previous night. With an audible groan that alerted the mother Nadder to his awakening he cracked one eye open and stared irritably at the small child that had interrupted his brief sleep.

" _Fairbreeze, why is the hatchling crying?"_

" _I believe she may be tired. With all the noise in the nest she is unable to get back to sleep."_ Fairbreeze said softly as she continued to cradle and shush the child still in her embrace.

" _Try taking her to Lookout Point. It should be relatively quiet. The child may find rest there."_

" _But what of my Hatchlings. They cannot fly yet and anyways, they will probably just keep the two-leg hatchling awake."_

" _I will watch your hatchlings. It would probably be best that the two-leg not wake up alone so we will remain here."_

Before Fairbreeze could leave with Astrid she is stopped by her daughter.

" _Mommy, I want to go."_ She said attempting to find some way to climb up her mother and onto her back.

" _No little hatchling, stay here with your brothers and Cloudjumper."_

" _No, I wanna go."_

The hatchling made so much noise it cut through the baby's cries and alerted the child to her presence. Just like last night her eyes slowly fluttered open and moved to the side to fixate on the young dragon. Giving another small whine the baby reached out her tiny hand in an attempt to reach her friend. Answering with a trill of her own the young female nadder stretched out her head and nuzzled the outstretched hand.

Fairbreeze watched all this transpire with a sense of awe. The Two-leg hatchling was still incredibly young however she could already see the bond that had begun to form between the two. Fairbreeze was no longer a young dragon, she had lived for a long time and seen many things. She had had several clutches of hatchlings in her time yet something in her heart told her that this would be her last. Her mate was not from this nest so anything could happen between the next time they would be together. Thus she had found herself inclined to be more protective of them than her previous.

Most of her other children had flown off in search of their own nest and mates while others had remained behind. Unfortunately, most of those who had stayed had been slain by two-legs. Of those that left, she was not sure how many had survived. The world had become very dangerous for dragons like her.

Fairbreeze had long held a grudge against the two-legs for taking the lives of so many of her hatchlings. It had been pure chance that had drawn her to that island two nights ago.

 _ **(Flashback)**_

 _She had been out on a flight, in an effort to stretch her wings. It was the first time she had been out since her hatchlings had been born and she had flown further than she had meant to._

 _She was just about to turn about and head home when she came across a dragon raid against a small human nest. She had watched for several minutes as she hovered safely out of range. She had watched as human killed dragon and dragon killed human. Finally she could take no more and had flown in to help. She had gone in and pulled free several dragons caught in human nets._

 _It was at that time she heard the crying of a human woman followed by the loud cries of a small child, a female. From the sounds of it the child had just been born. Fairbreeze was briefly taken over by pity for the young child. She was born into a world at war. Someday she will grow to kill dragons and perhaps one day will be killed herself._

 _As she continued to listen to the cries of the young child she began to notice a disturbing fact. The child's cries were growing softer at an alarming rate and suddenly they stopped altogether. By this point Fairbreeze had crept through the shadows and located the source of the crying while the raid continued to rage around her. She arrived just in time to see a female two-leg race out of the house and proceed up the hill._

 _With her incredible hearing she was just able to make out the whispers inside the house. It appeared that the only remaining inhabitants of the house were the child itself and the child's mother. As she continued to listen she could hear the whispers continue, the two-leg whispering desperate pleas to the hatchling that she could not understand._

 _Flying to the roof she burst through and dropped down into the small house. Taking note of her surroundings she caught her first glimpse of the two-leg child she had been listening to. It was lying in its mother's arms, who was currently staring at her in horror. The two-leg looked around, attempting to locate some sort of weapon Fairbreeze guessed. The two-leg laid her hatchling down onto the bed and moved around to the other side of the room. Fairbreeze guessed it was supposed to be to draw her attention away from her hatchling, something she would have done if she was in the two-leg's position._

 _However, at that moment there was nothing that could take her attention away from the child that was laying on the bed. It seemed to have captivated her entire being. There was nothing else in the world for her at that moment except that small child. She vaguely heard the two-leg yelling and screaming to get her attention. After several more moments she was drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of the woman two-leg rushing towards her with a strange looking stick. Sure it wasn't the best weapon but she suspected it was the only thing the two-leg could find. Reacting on instinct Fairbreeze whipped out her tail and knocked the two-leg mother back into the wall. After doing this she snatched the child from off the bed and took off into the night sky._

 _ **(Present Time)**_

Fairbreeze was astonished how much she had changed in just two days. How much this child had changed her. Even after the initial decision to take the child passed she could have easily passed her onto another dragon and been rid of the burden. Strangely the thought had never once entered her mind. The longer she thought about this human the stronger she felt about her decision to keep her. In the brief time they had been together a bond had begun to form and soon she realized she would never be able to give her up for anything. Not until she was grown and could care for herself.

Dragons are jealous creatures, it was something they all admitted to. Once they see something as their own there is nothing that could make them give it up, and there was nothing they guarded closer than their hatchlings.

Reaching Lookout Point Fairbreeze settled down for a landing. Her hatchling leapt of her mother's back and began to race around the new area. She had heard much about this spot in the nest but this was the first time she was seeing it for herself. Fairbreeze was just glad they got here before any other dragons could. It was not a particularly large area so dragons were often fighting over it. She didn't believe there would be any problems with the two hatchlings with her but she wasn't sure.

As her hatchling dashed about and investigated all the new scents that could be found Fairbreeze once again settled down with the young human safely touched into her body. There was much less noise up her, just as Cloudjumper said and before long the twolegs grew quiet and her eyelids drifted shut.

Noticing that the noise had stopped Fairbreeze's hatchling came over to investigate. Seeing that the twolegs had fallen back to sleep and realizing there was nothing else she could do the dragon hatchling curled up around the small child and she too drifted off to sleep. After watching this it wasn't long before Fairbreeze too followed them into unconsciousness.

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 _(Later)_

Valka continued her search throughout the sanctuary. For the most part she tried her best to stay out of the way of the hundreds, if not thousands, of dragons that surged around and over her. She had spent the majority of her adult life believing that dragons were not the monsters everyone else in her village thought they were. However, it did not mean she fully trusted them and a lifetime of fear was a lot to get over. There had been several dragons that had stopped and approached her, sniffing at her curiously before abruptly pulling away and flying off. It had been hours and she was no closer to finding little Astrid. At this point she felt as if she had searched the entire nest.

Finally she made it to an opening on the outskirts of the nest and gazed out at the vast ocean that surrounded her. Between her and the ocean lied a forest, though it seemed as though the nest had taken over the majority of the island that used to be lush green. After the forest the only thing left was a small beach, no more than a stone's throw thick that stretched across the shoreline. Looking out at the ocean the only thing in sight besides water were giant stacks of ice protruding out of the water, making it all but impossible for any stray ships that ventured this far to approach the island. This provided the perfect defense against any Vikings for making it close enough to investigate the island.

She did not know how long she stood there, staring out aimlessly at nothing before a small noise behind her had her spinning around, dropping instinctively into a protective stance. However she was met with nothing but the curious gaze of the four-winged dragon that had brought her to this place. For what felt like hours, but was most likely nothing more than a minute, the two just stared at each other, the dragons head tilting to the side as it stared curiously at her. It was then that she remembered all the flashes she had been seeing out of the corner of her eye all morning. She had no doubt that this dragon had been following her from the moment she stepped foot out of that cave. It was probably also the reason the dragons that had approached her would leave in such a hurry.

"Have you been following me around this entire time?" She asked the dragon before her. As she expected the only reply she received was the tilting of the dragons head even further, signaling what she only assumed was confusion.

"Do you have any idea where Astrid is?" She asked trying a different question however receiving the same response as her previous one. Trying a different approach she made a motion of cradling an invisible object, attempting to signal what she was looking for since it was clear the dragon had no clue about Norse speak. The dragon looked at her in confusion for another moment before its eyes widened and it leapt into action, snatching the human in his claws and taking off. Valka's screams echoed around the nest and as she was carried off she looked down to see the annoyed looks she received from the sleeping dragons as well as the curious gazes she received from those awake and flying around her. She continued to scream as she rose higher and higher before she was set back onto her feet on a patch of land much higher than where she had previously been standing.

As she caught her breath and worked to control her heartbeat she looked around and caught sight of a familiar looking Nadder curled up a little ways away. It appeared as though her screaming had roused the dragon from its slumber. Tearing her gaze away from that of the Nadder, who appeared to be in the process of blinking the sleep from her eyes, and allowed her gaze to drift down to the slumbering baby Nadder curled around a familiar pink form.

"Astrid" she exclaimed as she raced towards the sleeping child. She was abruptly brought to a stop by the sound of a low growling coming for the mother dragon. It was not so much a threatening noise as it was a warning. Just as she was about to move forward again she heard another rumbling sound come from the dragon behind her. She looked back timidly only to find that the intense gaze was not focused on her but rather the Nadder. She watched in confusion as the two dragons seemed to have a heated conversation until the one that had grabbed her, she was really going to need to start naming them, seemed to win the argument. Slowly the Nadder uncurled herself and allowed the human woman to step forward and take the child out of her grasp.

Roused from her sleep Astrid's face scrunched up in protest before her slitted sky-blue eyes opened up to stare at the woman holding her. Astrid was not the only one to be roused from their sleep as the baby dragon gave out a short cry of protest at losing her new companion. This in turn caused for Astrid to start squirming and fussing in Valka's arms. Thankfully the mother dragon recognized the problem and worked on quieting her own hatchling while Valka worked on Astrid. After several minutes and a continued inability to get the small child to settle back down Valka was struck with the realization that it had been a long time since Astrid had been fed. Feeling slightly embarrassed she lowered the strap of her old dress and allowed Astrid to begin her feeding.

Now that she was finally able to get the child to calm down she was able to look around and study her surroundings. One thing she was struck with was how far she could see. She had been screaming and panicking so much she had been unaware of exactly how high up she had been carrying. She was now able to see up and over the giant stacks of ice and confirm what she had previously believed. There were no more islands as far as she could see, and from where she was she could see the horizon for the first time in her life.

"Odin, where am I" she asked to no one in particular.

She knew that she had been carried for a long time since that dragon grabbed her from Berk but now she was beginning to wonder if she had fallen asleep at some point during the flight. As her gaze drifted back to her more immediate surrounding, she finally noticed that they were not alone. It appeared that the Nadders entire litter was there on that ledge as they dashed around on the other side of the ledge, she assumed so as not to wake their mother.

The next thing she was struck with was how cold it was. Inside the nest it had been very warm however now that she was out and exposed to the wind and the weather, not to mention how high up she was, she found herself shivering. A fact that did not go unnoticed by the dragon that had yet to leave her side. She was suddenly aware of herself being dragged to the ground and into the warm embrace of the four wing dragon. She was immediately overcome with the warmth that radiated from the dragon. Though for the first few minutes she remained rigged and uncomfortable she eventually relaxed and allowed herself to sink into the dragon's side with a sigh.

As soon as she did she let out an oomph as an unexpected weight scurried up into her embrace. Glancing down she watched as the small Nadder once again climbed into her arms and curled itself around Astrid. Again Valka was struck with amazement at how fast this young dragon had attached itself to Astrid, and she could tell Astrid was just as attached to the Nadder despite how young she was, still only a few days old. Astrid reached out a small dainty hand and placed it onto the dragon's snout. It slowly closed its eyes as it seemed to relish the touch of the small child. Eventually the hand fell away as little Astrid once more drifted off to sleep, soon joined by her draconic companion.

It was in that moment that Valka was able experience a truly rare moment of peace in her life. She sat there in a warm, comfortable embrace and enjoyed a sight she was certain no human had been able to before her. She was joined as she heard then saw the mother dragon lay down next to them and stare at the two form sleeping in her arms. Apparently the peaceful feeling was spreading as minutes later the remaining baby Nadders, tired out from all their laying, came over to join them and curl up in the embrace of their mother.

'Well' she thought to herself, 'I guess this is my new life.' And at the moment it did not seem so bad to her. Sure she desperately missed her son and husband as well as her friends back home on Berk. But she knew that there was no way she could ever go back. They would never believe her when she described how wonderful the dragons were. And when they found out she had been to a dragon nest, she didn't know how she knew that this wasn't the nest that had been attacking them, they would not rest until they had gotten the nests location from her. Not only did her tribe not stand a chance at winning against this nest, the giant dragon that seemed to rule over this nest alone made it an unwinnable fight. But more than that she did not want them to find this beautiful place.

Even if she did want to go back she was almost certain that the dragons would never allow her to leave. They needed her to care for and look after Astrid, for the time being at least. And there was no way that the Nadder lying beside her or the one curled up in her arms right now would allow her to take Astrid away from them. Then there were her eyes to worry about. If any Viking caught sight of them their first instinct would be to run and grab their weapon.

This was her life now, for better or for worse she now had to let things unfold as they may. Though at the moment things really didn't seem so bad.

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 _(Back on Berk)_

The island of Berk stood proud in the darkness of the night. Torches were lit all across the town, illuminating the deserted streets which were usually bustling at this time of night. Instead, the village had gathered down at the docks in honor of their fallen chieftess. At the edge of the dock stood the giant form of Berk's chief.

Just one day ago Stoick the Vast had believed his life to be perfect. He had a beautiful wife and a son, the future heir to the tribe. It appeared that even the dragon raids that had plagued Berk since its founding hundreds of years ago had been decreasing in frequency. Then, just one day ago his entire world had come crashing down.

In truth this all started 2 nights ago, when the Hofferson's first child was snatched strait from their home. It was far from unheard of for them to lose lives during these raids. In fact they usually lost a couple of lives for every raid they saw. However to lose a child, particularly to have that child taken alive unheard of in their history. Protecting their children was usually their first priority.

They had held a funeral pyre for the child the night she was taken. However, with no body available it had felt hallow. The Hoffersons had remained strong, as they had always done. But those who knew them best could tell they were only the drop of a pin away from completely breaking down.

Then, the next night came one of the darkest days in years. There was no warning, no dragon raid to indicate a coming of danger. A lone dragon had quietly made its way into Berk and stolen the chief's wife Valka away before Stoick could stop it. The small tribe had spent the last day grieving and preparing for this moment. The funeral pyre had been loaded onto the boat, again without any body. Because of this the entire ceremony just came off as symbolic.

All of Berk watched as the boat drifted out into the bay and their chief raised his bow and released. The flaming arrow soared out into the night before coming to land on the boat. A few moments later several other arrows were joining the first as close friends and family released their own. They watched as the flames rose, climbing higher into the sky as the boat was eventually consumed in flames.

As the people of Berk left the docks and headed off to their own homes for night, the hulking figure of their chief never moved. In his arms was the silent form of his son, too young to understand what was going on around him. Too young to even see beyond the form of his father.

Stoick released a giant sigh. Until this point he had allowed himself to be caught up in planning this final farewell to his wife. Now that it was over, he was faced with the realization that he now had to raise his son alone. He would have to find him a wet nurse, he was still too young for solid food. How was he supposed to raise Hiccup by himself while running an entire village?

'Odin help me' he thought to himself.

 **Author's Note**

 **I'm back everyone. Sorry for the long wait again but life keeps getting in the way. My hope is that I will be able to update this story more frequently but no promises. I do have two other stories I am working on at the moment. Please check them out.**

 **Let me know what you think so far. Sorry for the slow chapter but I am still setting the stage for the story. Coming next chapter we will see a young Astrid discovering the world around her and a Valka who is still trying to settle in to her new life. Like, share, favorite or comment. Let me know what you like and what you don't like. I can take criticism.**

 **Until next time, happy reading.**


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